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Secret Santa

A group gift exchange in which each person secretly draws one other member's name and gives that person a gift anonymously.

What It Means

Secret Santa is a gift exchange for a group, where each person is secretly given one other member to buy for, usually by drawing names from a hat. Everyone buys a single gift instead of one for each person, and nobody says who drew whom. Dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and Cambridge also use the phrase for the giver, as in "my Secret Santa."

Try It: Secret Santa Next to Buying for Everyone

Example numbers to start. Compare what each person spends when everyone buys for everyone with a Secret Santa draw.

Everyone buys for everyoneGifts each person buys7Cost per person$140Gifts in the whole group56
Secret SantaGifts each person buys1Cost per person$25Gifts in the whole group8

Each person spends about $115 less with the draw.

How People Say It

  • "Who did you get for Secret Santa?"
  • "The limit's $25 this year, don't go over."
  • "I'm not telling anyone who I drew."

The Breakdown

Worked example. An office team of 8 people:

Everyone buys for everyoneSecret Santa
Gifts each person buys71
Spend per gift$20$25 limit
Cost per person$140$25
Gifts across the group568
Group total$1,120$200

What the result means. With a group this size, each person buys 1 gift instead of 7 and spends $115 less, even with a higher limit per gift. The gap widens as the group grows, since each person's list under buy-for-everyone is the group size minus one.

Running the draw

  1. Agree on a spending limitCredit limitThe most your card company lets you owe on a credit card or line of credit at one time. See more and an exchange date before anyone draws.
  2. Write each name on its own slip and put the slips in a hat or bowl.
  3. Have everyone draw one slip and keep it to themselves.
  4. Someone who draws their own name puts it back and draws again. When the last person is left holding their own slip, redo the whole draw.
  5. Share wish lists anonymously, or leave them out and trust the limit.

Good to Know

When children are part of the draw, check gifts against CPSC rules. Toys with small parts are banned for children under 3, and toys for older children that contain small parts carry a label warning buyers about younger ages. Settle the spending limit before any names come out of the hat, so everyone shops to the same number.

FAQ

How does Secret Santa work?

Every name goes into a hat, and each person draws one in secret. You buy a gift for the person you drew, within the group's spending limit, and the gifts are handed out on an agreed day.

How much should a Secret Santa gift cost?

There's no official amount. The group sets one limit before the draw, so everyone spends about the same.

What if someone draws their own name?

They put the slip back and draw again. If the very last slip belongs to the last person drawing, start the draw over so nobody ends up buying for themselves.

Do It in Buhata

Quick Poll

Run a Quick Poll in your Household or Team Space in Buhata to agree on the spending limit before anyone draws a name.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • White elephant gift exchange

    A party game, also called Yankee swap or dirty Santa, where guests each bring one wrapped gift under a set price and try to leave with the best one.

  • Gift budget

    A spending plan that sets how much you'll spend on gifts, person by person or occasion by occasion, for a season or a whole year.

  • Holiday budget

    A spending plan for the holiday season that sets how much you'll spend on gifts, food, travel and decorations before the shopping starts.

Holidays and celebrations

Sources

Merriam-Webster, "Secret Santa"; Cambridge Dictionary, "secret Santa"; Collins English Dictionary, "Secret Santa"; U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Small Parts Ban and Choking Hazard Labeling"

Last updated .